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Abstract:We assessed igg antibody to Toxoplasma gondii in 300 inpatients with schizophrenia (SG), 150 outpatients with anxiety and depressive disorders (PCG), and 150 healthy blood donors (HCG). Seropositivity rates were 60.7% for SG, 36.7% for PCG, and 45.3% for HCG (p<0.001). The seropositivity rate for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibodies in SG was significantly higher that in PCG (X 2 = 23.11, OR = 2.66, p = 0.001) and HCG (X 2 = 9.52, OR = 1.86, p = 0.002). Among SG, 85% of those who reported close cat contact had igg antibodies to T. gondii. Close cat contacts were reported by 59% of SG, 6% of PCG, and 9% of HCG (p<0.001). There was a nonsignificant positive association between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia for people with a contact with a cat (or = 2.221, p = 0.127, ci 95 = 0.796-6.192), and significant negative association between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia for people without contact with a cat (OR = 0.532, p = 0.009, CI 95 = 0.332-0.854). Close cat contact (OR = 2.679, p<0.001), 51-65-year age group (OR = 1.703, p<0.001) and education [illiterate+primary (OR = 6.146, p<0.001) and high school (OR = 1.974, p = 0.023)] were detected as independent risk factors in multivariate logistic regression. The effect of toxoplasmosis on risk of schizophrenia disappeared in the complex model analyzed with multivariate logistic regression. In conclusion, our data suggest that the toxoplasmosis has no direct effect on the risk of schizophrenia in turkey but is just an indication of previous contacts with a cat.

Resistance to fluoroquinolones has increased markedly since their introduction. Mechanisms of resistance to any antibiotic class might play a role in resistance to an unrelated antibiotic class. This study evaluated the relationship between extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production and ciprofloxacin resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated as causative agents of urinary tract infection. ESBL-producing strains were significantly more frequent among ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli strains than among ciprofloxacin-susceptible E. coli strains (p = 0.015), but the difference was not significant among K. pneumoniae strains (p = 0.276).

Between January 2001 and September 2006, a total of 459 Escherichia coli and 226 Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were isolated from blood samples of patients with bacteremia who were hospitalized at the Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty. Blood cultures were analyzed with the Bactec 9120 system (Becton Dickinson, USA). Antimicrobic resistance of the E. coli or K. pneumoniae strains was determined by the disk diffusion method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute criteria. Extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production was examined with the double-disk synergy test. The percentage of ESBL was 40% (182/459) for E. coli and 49% (111/226) for K. pneumoniae. ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae were highly resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (60 and 40.5%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (56.5 and 48.6%), ciprofloxacin (57.6 and 35%) and gentamicin (38 and 40.5%), respectively; however, lower resistance rates were found for amikacin (19.7 and 16%) and piperacillin/tazobactam (29.6 and 24%). None of the strains were resistant to imipenem. Our data indicated that prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae strains isolated from blood cultures is high and antimicrobial resistance increases. Considerable effort should be made to decrease the ESBL-positive organisms.